The curtain fell on Saturday on the opening round of the 2026 Saudi Hill Climb Championship, hosted by Aqabat Al-Mohammadiyah in the Shafa area of Taif Governorate.

This round witnessed wide participation with 43 male and female competitors, who competed fiercely across 10 different categories, in addition to the Women's Cup, in one of the most prominent motorsport events in the Kingdom. The Aqabat Al-Mohammadiyah course, with its rugged mountain terrain and consecutive bends, posed a major technical challenge requiring drivers to have absolute concentration and very precise driving skills to control their vehicles.

Mamoun Amr Al-Qabbani clinched first place (Saudi Automobile Federation).

At the overall race standings, Mamoun Amr Al-Qabbani succeeded in taking first place after recording the fastest time of the round at 3 minutes, 28 seconds, and 936 milliseconds. Faisal Sufyan Al-Qabbani came second with a time of 3 minutes, 29 seconds, and 723 milliseconds, while Ahmed Al-Qaidi finished third with a time of 3 minutes, 42 seconds, and 228 milliseconds, following strong competition that saw a notable closeness in times among the competitors. As for the official categories, the two decisive rounds were filled with great excitement and fierce competition among participants. In Class 1, Mamoun Al-Qabbani achieved the lead with a time of 3:28.936, followed by Faisal Al-Qabbani in second. Ahmed Al-Qaidi grabbed first place in Class 2A with a time of 3:42.228, with Rabie Al-Awar in second. Saber Al-Zulfi took the lead in Class 2B with a time of 5:57.480. In Class 3A, Sultan Hamdi won first place with a time of 3:51.128, ahead of Abdullah Khawjah in second and Mahmoud Abed in third. Ibrahim Al-Sharidah clinched the top spot in Class 3B with a time of 3:59.755, followed by Sultan Kaylo in second and Mohamed Abdel Ghaffar in third.

Excitement continued in Class 4A (Saudi Automobile Federation).

Excitement continued in Class 4A, where Abdulaziz Al-Fadhili claimed first place with a time of 4 minutes, 6 seconds, and 280 milliseconds, followed by Bandar Al-Sulami in second and Yassin Alfanso in third. Meanwhile, Abdullah Moamenah achieved the lead in Class 4B with a time of 4:04.413, with Hisham Al-Badi in second and Ali Fadl Ali in third.

In Class 5A, Faisal Naaman won first place with a time of 5:12.014, with Inas Abtaini in second and Osama Hakim in third. Abdullah Al-Amri took first place in Class 5A (C2) with a time of 3:51.750. Hatem Al-Hazmi earned first place in Class 5B with a time of 4:16.342, followed by Omar Al-Deini in second and Mohamed Hbal in third. In the Women's Cup, Reem Al-Aboud was crowned first after recording a time of 4:24.729, with Inas Abtaini in second and Yasmine Al-Sayed in third.

This year's edition of the championship was distinguished by the addition of two qualifying rounds, raising the total number of races to 6 compared to 4 last year. The titles were decided through two main races dedicated to the top 20 competitors in the overall standings, along with the category leaders. The first decisive round started at 2:00 PM, followed by the second round at 3:30 PM, and the final result was based on the best time recorded by each competitor in the two decisive rounds.

On the organizational level, the round achieved outstanding success thanks to the efforts of 38 marshals deployed along the course to manage vehicle movement, support readiness, and enhance safety, providing a safe and ideal racing environment.

This opening round confirmed the strength of competition in the 2026 season, given the wide participation, diversity of vehicles and categories, and the high technical levels displayed on the Aqabat Al-Mohammadiyah course. The course extends 4.2 kilometers and features 30 uphill bends, climbing from an elevation of approximately 1,900 meters to about 2,150 meters above sea level.

It is worth noting that the championship consists of 3 rounds, all hosted by Aqabat Al-Mohammadiyah in Taif. The second round takes place from July 17 to 18, and the competition concludes with the third and final round from July 31 to August 1.

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